10-12 storey tower Guy St/Leathermarket Gardens

Am wondering if anyone else feels as strongly as I do about plans to build a 10-12 storey tower on the edge of Guy Street Park and Leathermarket Gardens. The great thing about these gardens is that there is nothing adjacent more than 6 storeys high and most surrounding buildings are lower than this. You can see the sky. The tower would be right in the middle of the two green spaces. This will cut out more evening sun from Leathermarket Gardens and radically change the views.

Where is the space? Are there plans to demolish the garages?

This is the scheme:

http://www.leathermarketcbs.org.uk/2014/05/residents-discuss-design-options-at-latest-kipling-meeting/

On the corner of Guy St and Weston St by replacing garages on Kipling Estate. No decision yet taken but tower seems to be being pushed by JMB instead of low-rise development.

Looking at the model, will they actually block out any more light to the Leathermarket sidee than the existing towers on the kipling estate? Probably only when the sun is setting in the west, but by the point it is pretty low anyway.

The answer has to be "Yes" but the point is that it is right next to the gardens as opposed to Burwash which is set back say 30m from both gardens. Although you can argue that the space would be better if Burwash and Simla were removed (unlikely!) putting up yet another tower so close to the green space is one step too far and in my opinion will radically change the environment of the gardens. Incidentaly after the planning meeting last month, I walked thorugh Leathermaket Gdns and yes the evening sun would be blocked out east of the tower precisely because the sun is lower. Also, while I regret the light being blocked out by the tall buildings (already happened in a small way with the new building on the corner of Leathermarket St and Weston St), my point is that the two gardens together currnently provide a fantastic green space where you do not get the impression that you are hemmed in by tall buildings.

Does anyone know how this will work? Can residents vote against any development on that site. Will the new units be owned by LBS? Will residents know exactly what they are voting for ie will there be comprehensive plans? And, to save me going to have a look, how close are those garages to the tower blocks?

Hello Karen

There is a detailed report here:
Weston Street garages

The news report on this (London Se1) site states that
"Planning permission is to be sought under the Localism Act which provides for a referendum of existing residents." As the Neighbourhood Forum for the area has suffered a somewhat tortuous set-up process so far, I am not sure how that will work.

peter, the link to the report is missing?

we'd written about the idea of a referendum a couple of weeks back (first thoughts on the 'community conversations' about housing) - when i first read the article about weston st, i thought, great, then thought again - the decision that that's where the new homes are to go has already been made, what's more, they've already got architects 'working on the proposals'. architects are working not for air but money (ie they're being paid to develop those proposals so someone has already told them what they want and that someone isn't the people living on the estate).
so again all the 'empowering residents' talk is nothing but spin.
i'd demand the council stopped all 'developing of proposals' and whatever else they're wasting money on, and allow the people who live there, to talk with each other and work out what it is they want, how they and not the council want it to work etc? (hope that makes sense)

Let's try a slightly different link:

http://www.leathermarketcbs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Possibilities-for-the-Kipling-Garage-site-BellPhillips.pdf